John Dean Crime Novelist

John Dean

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John Dean's Discussions

Manuscript assessments

Are you an aspiring crime writer who is keen to develop your craft? Then…Continue

Started Feb 23, 2021

Mentoring programmes and online writing courses

Novelist John Dean is offering online courses for writing groups who may be struggling to meet in person during the current coronavirus restrictions.Crime writer John, who is based in Dumfries and…Continue

Started Feb 7, 2020

Libraries Champions

John Dean is one of three UK Libraries Champions appointed by The Crime…Continue

Started Sep 12, 2018

Creating something special

For me, there are plenty of examples of stories which are well written - well-crafted and technically competent. Often, they are very, very good indeed.But they do not always enjoy success, be it…Continue

Started Mar 16, 2018

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John Dean posted a blog post

Lead me to the keyboard

This is where writing comes perilously close to madness but I am a strong believer that fictional characters, if allowed their head, can tell their own stories and all the author has to do is type!It does not happen every time you write, which is why authors must value it when it does, but it happened to me today when writing an account of a Zoom conversation between…See More

Thursday

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John Dean posted a blog post

At the top of his game

Book Review The Red Shoes Mystery by David Pearson David Pearson continues to delight his many fans with his latest crime novel, in which his investigators O’Shea and Maguire face their most challenging case yet—the mysterious death of Maria Hyka.As Maguire and her team dig deeper, they uncover connections to a shadowy underworld and, as ever, with David’s books, it is…See More

Feb 12

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John Dean posted a blog post

A welcome addition to the crime fiction canon

Book Review - Murder in the New Forest by Carol Cole (The Book Folks).It’s always a moment laden with anticipation when a new crime series emerges onto the scene and Carol Cole does not disappoint with Murder in the New Forest (The Book Folks).At the heart of the novel is a new central character, DI Callum MacLean, newly arrived in Hampshire from Glasgow and plunged into…See More

Feb 5

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John Dean shared their blog post on Facebook

Getting the facts right in fiction

Feb 3

John Dean posted blog posts

Feb 3

John Dean posted a blog post

Bestseller chart success

I am delighted that two of my crime fiction works are this morning in the top 100 Organised Crime Kindle charts on Amazon.The DCI John Blizzard box set containing the first seven novels in the series, (The Book Folks) for just 99p - now if that is not an outstanding offer, I do not know what is - is at number 43 (it is already topping various anthology charts).My new…See More

Jan 20

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John Dean posted a blog post

Grant award helps develop crime fiction programme

Organisers of the fourth annual Kirkcudbright Book Week have been awarded a £1,750 grant from the Robin Rigg Community Fund to help them develop the crime fiction component of the festival.Kirkcudbright Book Week is designed to celebrate the growing literary scene in and around the South West Scotland town and crime fiction has proved to be a popular genre with audiences…See More

Jan 17

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John Dean shared their blog post on Facebook

Book Week promises a treat for crime fiction fans

Jan 14

John Dean shared their blog post on Facebook

Book Week promises a treat for crime fiction fans

Jan 14

John Dean posted blog posts

Jan 14

John Dean shared their blog post on Facebook

New Blizzard is published

Jan 13

John Dean posted a blog post

The way authors work

A few years ago, I ran a creative writing course and, at the beginning of one of the sessions, I asked my fifteen students how they worked.The result was fifteen different answers –one author wrote everything by hand then typed it onto their computer, another wrote it all in note form then linked the notes together, one did not edit anything until everything was…See More

Dec 29, 2024

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Knowing when to cast all caution to the wind

Dec 27, 2024

John Dean posted a blog post

Knowing when to cast all caution to the wind

Writing is an art form which combines two skills which appear, at first glance, to have nothing on common – unrestrained creativity and well-controlled discipline.However, good writing is not possible without either of them. To explain, as I write the latest DCI Jack Harris crime novel, I am being disciplined and following the synopsis that I developed right from the…See More

Dec 27, 2024

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John Dean shared their blog post on Facebook

Written in a flash

Dec 13, 2024

John Dean shared their blog post on Facebook

Festival announces top quality crime fiction line-up

Dec 13, 2024

John Dean's Photos

John Dean's Blog

Lead me to the keyboard

This is where writing comes perilously close to madness but I am a strong believer that fictional characters, if allowed their head, can tell their own stories and all the author has to do is type!

It does not happen every time you write, which is why authors must value it when it does, but it happened to me today when writing an account of a…

Continue

Posted on February 20, 2025 at 10:13

At the top of his game

Book Review The Red Shoes Mystery by David Pearson

David Pearson continues to delight his many fans with his latest crime novel, in which his investigators O’Shea and Maguire face their most challenging case yet—the mysterious death of Maria Hyka.

As Maguire and her team dig deeper, they uncover connections to a…

Continue

Posted on February 12, 2025 at 10:57

A welcome addition to the crime fiction canon

Book Review - Murder in the New Forest by Carol Cole (The Book Folks).

It’s always a moment laden with anticipation when a new crime series emerges onto the scene and Carol Cole does not disappoint with Murder in the New Forest (The Book Folks).

At the heart of the novel is a new central character, DI Callum MacLean,…

Continue

Posted on February 5, 2025 at 11:44

Getting the facts right in fiction

The central message of this blog may seem an obvious one but it's important to remember - do your research and get your facts right.

The reason is that it can be all too easy to go with what you think you know. As someone who worked as a journalist for 40 years, I know never to assume but I still do it on occasion.

As a…

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Posted on February 3, 2025 at 16:35